One With the Land

The idea of a lands ruler being tied to the land so that the health of each are connected is an old one. GURPS Fantasy first proposed this as a variation of Special Rapport "The Kings Two Bodies". Freelance Christopher Rice took that a few steps further in this blog entry. this effort is great for the local druid or protector, though the area is too small to reflect a typical ruler.
Another version called Divine Monarch [30] is in Blessed Be, Pyramid #3/78 Unleash Your Soul.

Attuned to the Land

40 points

You have the ability to sense the health and status of a territory you claim and assume responsibility for. You can also exorcise spirits from the area or those in it. The process takes a week and requires travel and observation of the entire land. Optionally ritually prepared materials from various areas can be brought to the new ruler, common in large kingdoms with local rulers who may have the same ability. Once the attunement has taken hold the ruler has the benefits of Special Rapport (p. B88) with everyone and everything in the area that considers themselves a resident. So it does not cover strangers or visitors, though the user would know by the lack of feeling they were not local. This is generally a collective perception, taking a penalty equal to the area on the Size and Speed/Range Table (p. B550) as per the Area Perception modifier, though this can be focused to smaller areas or individuals as desired.
Statistics: Licensed Exorcist [1] + Special Rapport (Area Perception, +300%; Cosmic, Universal Truth, +100%; One Way, +20%; Onset, 1 week, -40%; Reliable +10, +50%; Transferable, +250%) [39]. 40 points.
Note: Using it to sense the collective whole has precedent in published material. Letting it focus down to smaller areas is a trivial extension of that, though focusing on individuals is perhaps a bit too much a stretch for some. On the other hand we are talking about +400% in Cosmic for this ability, so there is that. If the reader prefers those modifiers could be dropped and various the Empathy advantages added as alternates as focus changes.

Area Perception is from GURPS Powers: Totem and Nature Spirits for clairsentience and Detects.
One Way and Transferable are from GURPS Powers (p. 77-78).
Cosmic, Universal Truth is from Blessed Be, Pyramid #3/78 Unleash Your Soul and is pretty similar to the True Sight enhancement in Powers.


Additional abilities are often associated with this and if they only affect or work within the area they can be purchased as alternative abilities, though this temporarily blinds the normal supernatural sensitivity. These abilities often include: Absolute Direction, Clairsentience, Common Sense, Energy Reserve (Slow Recharge, 1 day), Enhanced Move, Hard to Kill, Healing, Higher Purpose, Intuition, Luck, Oracle, Precognition, Psychometry, Regeneration, Serendipity, Speak With Animals, Speak With Plants, Telesend, and Terrain Adaptation.

The decline in US Manufacturing

@gop @TheDemocrats @BrandNew535 @justicedems @JoeBiden @BernieSanders @USAutoCouncil

In the 80's 25% of US jobs involved manufacturing, now its 10%. Republicans blame immigrants and regulation saying worker safety, pollution control, and wages are to blame so subsidize companies through tax cuts and they can then afford to higher American workers, even as they give those manufacturers 50% tax breaks to open plants overseas.

@realDonaldTrump @BernieSanders and others, including most labor unions blame trade agreements like NAFTA, TPP, and others where corporations were in charge of setting the trade policy through lobbyists and buying politicians. Trump hit @HillaryClinton hard on this in 2016

@JoeBiden not only voted like Clinton, he whip counted for it and in recent debates still says they were good deals. He will be hit hard on this if he wins the nomination. But the other candidates and #MSM ignore this because they supported it too. Except for @BernieSanders who was one of the very few who predicted the effect to employees and not only them but all Americans and was willing to take the unpopular stand.

That is Senator Sanders in a nutshell! Always looking forward and wiling to take a stand for America rather than bend with the political winds or be bought by corporations. Only one candidate in the 2020 Presidential election has a proven track record of putting Americans first, ahead of his wallet and political self interest. I do not agree with all his decisions, nor perfectly align with his ideology but hes the only one I trust to govern with integrity. That matters!

Totem Powers - Imbuements

I have looked at Imbuements but never played them, though that is about to change. I will be playing a Mystic in one game and have been playing a powers based shaman in another for awhile now. Shadow Speaker relies on Afflictions, Totem-Bearer with Horse and Raven, and tokens for Bear, Dove, and Turtle. This gives him a decent mix of abilities which I have used to fine tune a few things.
However, I have been looking at ways to improve the buffing role and with the thought going into the Mystic of Horus I have some ideas on Imbuements to go along with GURPS Powers: Totem and Nature Spirits.

So here are some ideas on what Imbuements fit specific totems. This list is drawn from GURPS Power-Ups 1: Imbuements and several Pyramid issues. Remember whats appropriate is up to the setting and the GMs interpretation, some are pretty obvious, while others are more of a stretch. So these are just some ideas.

• All: Dancing Weapon, Ghostly Weapon, Healthful Armor, Nullifying Armor (Spirit), Returning Weapon, Spiritual Defense, Supreme Control, 
• Most Birds: Aerial Operation, Arching Shot, Far Shot, Guided Weapon, Homing Weapon, Stabilizing Shot.
• Baselisk: Acid Weapon, Corrosive Strike,
• Bear: Crushing Attack, Forceful Blow.
• Beaver: Aquatic Operation,
• Cougar/Puma: Agile Operation,
• Coyote: Arching Shot,
• Deer: Agile Operation,  Hasten Vehicle, 
• Dolphin: Aquatic Operation, Crushing Attack, Ramming Vehicle,
• Dove: Dazzling Display,
• Eagle:  Impaling Strike,
• Electric Eel: Electric Weapon, Fulminating Strike,
• Elemental (Air): Imbue 1 – Deafening Display, Supreme Control, Thunderous Defense. Imbue 2 – Arching Shot, Far Shot, Guided Weapon, Returning Weapon. Imbue 3 – Electric Weapon, Insulated Armor.
• Elemental (Earth): Imbue 1 – Crushing Strike, Lighten Armor, Reinforce Weapon. Imbue 2 – Reinforce Armor, Shattershot. Imbue 3 – Blunting Armor, Impenetrable Armor, Padded Armor, Penetrating Strike.
• Elemental (Fire): Imbue 1 – Ghostly Weapon, Spiritual Defense. Imbue 2 –Annihilating Weapon, Burning Strike, Blinding Defense, Dazzling Display. Imbue 3 –
• Fireproof Armor, Incendiary Weapon.
• Elemental (Water): Imbue 1 – Rigid Armor, Stealthy Attack, Subtle Defense, Underwater Strike, Imbue 2 – Fatiguing Strike. Imbue 3 – Binding Shot, Chilling Strike, Impaling Strike, Restorative Armor.
• Elephant: Animate Vehicle, Armored Vehicle, Crushing Attack, Forceful Blow, Lighten Armor, Ramming Vehicle,
• Hippopotamus: Armored Vehicle, Ramming Vehicle,
• Horse: Agile Operation, Animate Vehicle, Efficient Vehicle, Hardy Vehicle, Hasten Vehicle, Tireless Mount,
• Hummingbird: Agile Operation,
• Marten: Bank Shot, Clinging Vehicle, Impaling Strike,
• Mole: Stealthy Attack, Underground Operation,
• Octopus/Squid: Telescoping Blow.
• Otter: Aquatic Operation,
• Owl: Stealthy Attack,
• Peacock: Deafening Display,
• Porcupine: Vengeful Defense,
• Raven:
• Snake: Drugged Weapon, Envenomed Weapon, Sudden Death, Toxic Strike.
• Songbird:
• Spider: Binding Shot, Envenomed Weapon, Sudden Death, Toxic Strike, Vampiric Weapon,
• Turtle: Armored Vehicle, Dancing Shield, Impenetrable Armor, Widen Shield.
• Wolf: Crippling Blow,
• Unicorn:

Working List (Not every published Imbuement is included and several arent used in the lists above)

·        Acid Weapon, Aerial Operation, Agile Operation, All-Terrain Operation, Alluring Vehicle, Animate Vehicle, Annihilating Weapon, Aquatic Operation, Arching Shot, Armored Vehicle, Bank Shot, Binding Shot, Blinding Defense, Blunting Armor, Burning Strike, Chameleon Vehicle, Chilling Strike, Clinging Vehicle, Conic Blast, Continuing Attack, Corrosive Strike, Crippling Blow, Crushing Attack, Cutting Strike, Dancing Shield, Dancing Weapon, Dazzling Display, Deafening Display, Drugged Weapon, Efficient Vehicle, Electric Weapon, Energizing Defense, Envenomed Weapon, Expand Armor, Far Shot, Fatiguing Strike, Fireproof Armor, Forceful Blow, Fulminating Strike, Ghostly Weapon, Guided Weapon, Hardy Vehicle, Hasten Vehicle, Healthful Armor, Homing Weapon, Impaling Strike, Impenetrable Armor, Incendiary Weapon, Insulated Armor, Lighten Armor, Multi-Shot, Multistrike, Nullifying Armor (Spirit), Padded Armor, Penetrating Strike, Phantom Hold, Phasing Vehicle, Piercing Strike, Project Blow, Ramming Vehicle, Reinforce Armor, Reinforce Weapon, Resilient Armor, Restorative Armor, Returning Weapon, Rigid Armor, Self-Repairing Vehicle, Shattering Shot, Shockwave,  Sovereign Armor, Spiritual Defense, Stabilizing Shot, Stable Vehicle, Stalwart Vehicle, Stealthy Attack, Strike of Negation, Stupefying Blow, Subtle Defense, Sudden Death, Superior Life Support, Supreme Control, Telescoping Blow, Thunderous Defense, Tireless Mount, Toxic Strike, Transform Vehicle, Traumatic Blow, Underground Operation, Vacuum Operation, Vampiric Weapon, Vengeful Defense, Widen Shield, Withering Strike

Awareness an Alternate Attribute

This is an alternative attribute for my settings, at least on a trial basis. Its based on GURPS Power-Ups 9: Alternate Attributes and some discussion on the SJG forums.

Awareness

20 points/level

You are extremely aware of thngs and always paying attention, even to minor details others over look. This starts at 10 and costs 20 points per level.

It is the controlling attribute for skills based purely on perception and observation as well as Per rolls.

For many skills a keen awareness of whats happening is important but another attribute such as IQ or DX are also fundamental, this includes skill where analysis and reaction are important.

• Controlling (Any Per based): Blind Fighting, Body Language, Detect Lies, Esoteric Medicine, Fishing, Observation, Scrounging, Search, Survival, Tracking, Urban Survival.
• (Awareness + IQ)/2 or (Awareness + DX)/2 or (Awareness + DX)/2: Accounting, Administration, Animal Handling, Area Knowledge, Artist, Bicycling, Boating, Body Sense, Camouflage, Carousing, Climbing, Combat skills, Connoisseur, Computer Operation, Criminology, Cryptography, Current Affairs, Dancing, Diagnosis, Diplomacy, Disguise, Dreaming, Driving, Electronics Operation, Electronics Repair, Erotic Art, Falconry, Farming, Fast-Talk, Filch, Fist Aid, Forensics, Forgery, Fortune-Telling, Forward Observer, Gardening, Gesture, Group Performance, Herb Lore, Hidden Lore, Hiking, Housekeeping, Intelligence Analysis, Interrogation, Intimidation, Invisibility Art, Jeweler, Knot-Tying, Leadership, Lip Reading, Lockpicking, Market Analysis, Merchant, Mimicry, Mount, Naturalist, Navigation, Panhandling, Photography, Physician, Pickpocket, Piloting, Politics, Pressure Points, Pressure Secrets, Propaganda, Prospecting, Psychology, Public Speaking, Research, Riding, Running, Savoir-Faire, Seamanship, Shadowing, Shiphandling, Skating, Skiing, Sleight of Hand, Speed-Reading, Stealth, Strategy, Streetwise, Submarine, Submariner, Surgery, Tactics, Teaching, Teamster, Throwing, Throwing Art, Traps, Veterinary, Weather Sense, Zen Archery.

Opensecrets funding for each of the major Oklahoma candidates for federal office.
General Race data

Kendra Horn (OK-05) 12.79% small dollar
Danyell Lanier (D) vs, Mark Mullin at a horrible 0.37%

Another Take on GURPS Attributes and Skills

So on the SJG forums where a discussion on GURPS Power-Ups 9: Alternate Attributes I was inspired by Kromm and Douglas Cole to come up with a different model for skills.  Turns out Mr. Cole had already done something similar in By Default, Pyramid #3/65 Alternate GURPS III

Nonetheless, I like where that started but would take it a bit further.
Right now skills are Controlling Attribute + applicable Talent and Technique.
This makes attributes very desirable but after a few skills are purchased to the point where they cost 4/level to increase its more efficient to increase the attribute instead of more points on several skills. Talents help a character fill a niche, especially since they often apply to multiple attributes but the direct additive nature makes Talents still limited in use, especially in higher point campaigns. Techniques are worse as few will take more than one or two of them.
However attributes having an effect on skills is core to GURPS and a feature I really like.
Another issue is that certain skills are and should be very complicated to master, while others should be trivial. The Easy/Average/Hard/Very Hard model  reflects this by making them progressively a point lower in effectiveness. Its kind of --- meh.
So taking a cue from a difficult use of a skill the Active Defense roll (Block, Dodge, and Parry) what if we used that? Turns out Douglas Cole thought of that (see the above referenced Pyramid) and added a bunch of detail that is worth a look.
But, again I like the idea of differentiating and representing increasing complexity of certain skills.
So...
Easy Skills: 5 + (Controlling Attribute/2) + applicable Talent and Technique.
Average Skills: 5 + (Controlling Attribute/3) + applicable Talent and Technique.
Hard Skills: 5 + (Controlling Attribute/4) + applicable Talent and Technique.
Very Hard Skills: 5 + (Controlling Attribute/5) + applicable Talent and Technique.

Assuming base attribute of 10 this gives us...

• Current method for 1 point Easy [Stat] -10, Average [Stat -1] -9, Hard [Stat -2] -8, Very Hard [Stat -3] -7.
• New Method for 1 point Easy [Stat] -10, Average [Stat -3] -7, Hard [Stat -5] -5, Very Hard [Stat -6] -4.

This makes many skills worse than using the default for the first level or so, but Douglas addressed that issue in his article.

The difference here is that while still important, skills benefit more point for point expenditure in buying up Talents, Techniques, and certain advantages which increases variety between characters. This is especially true for the more complicated and difficult skills!

Advantage: Chi Adept

This was inspired by GURPS Power-Ups 9: Alternate Attributes which I reviewed here.

Chi Adept

5 points +15/level.

You have awakened your inner chi and learned how to directly harness it. This creates a new attribute "Chi"starting at 10 that has several effects.

• As long as Chi is at or above 10 use the better of this or the normal attribute for using chi based skills, powers, and resisting chi and physical supernatural effects.
• May be used to replace any HT roll, including most HT skills (see below), resistance, and any HT check such as staying conscious or avoiding death.
• May be used to replace Will for extra effort rolls.
• May be used instead of normal Per rolls to sense chi related effects.
• May be temporarily lowered to power chi effects and extra effort, exactly as if it were HT and FP.  However using this energy lowers the effective score for all purposes until its recovered through rest or other means.
• Use the worst of this or the appropriate attribute when resisting effects, or for chi and HT based skills and abilities if the Chi attribute is currently below 10 for any reason.

Chi skills

Chi skills include Autohypnosis, Blind Fighting, Body Control, Body Language, Body Sense, Breaking, Blow, Breath Control, Esoteric Medicine, Flying Leap, Hypnotic Hands, Immovable Stance, Invisibility Art, Kiai, Light Walk, Lizard Climb, Meditation, Mental Strength, Mind Block, Parry Missile Weapons, Power Blow, Pressure Points, Pressure Secrets, Push, Sensitivity, Throwing Art, and Zen Archery.

HT and Other Skills

Carousing, Erotic Art, Hiking, Lifting, Running, Sex Appeal, Singing, Skating, Skiing, Swimming.